Recently, Reiki has been thrust into the limelight due to a recent press release from the Catholic Church.  They stated that it has no scientific basis and is based on superstition, not spirituality.  Well, this Reiki therapist wants set the record straight and eliminate much of the confusion.
 
Reiki is one of three major types of energy healing, the others being Therapeutic Touch and Polarity Therapy.  Although there is no scientific basis for any of these practices, Therapeutic Touch was developed by a nurse and is taught to medical professionals (and yes, there are many people who still believe it to be bunk).  Polarity Therapy was developed by a doctor, but is not as popular.  These latter two methods use the practitioner's energies to change the energy flow in someone else's energy field.  Reiki differs from these as it brings in energy from the universe into someone else.  It was developed by Mikao Usui from information that came to him in a meditation and falls under the category 'the laying on of hands'.
 
But let's start at the beginning... Reiki comes from the Japanese terms Rei (God consciousness) and Ki (universal life force energy).  Ki is the energy in all living things.  Reiki is this energy coming from the universe guided by the divine to work on problems in someone.  Basically, Reiki is positive energy which is brought into someone that has been trained to tap into it and passed into someone in need of healing.  Every problem each person has, has negative energy associated with it.  The positive Reiki energy works against the negative energies either reducing or eliminating them, making the receiver feel better.  It has been known to remove pain (sometimes instantly) and work against disease and illness of any type.  This therapist has personally used it against problems ranging from headaches to cancer with usually good results.  In most cases, Reiki can remove a strong migraine in as little as 30 minutes. 
 
The scientific community complains that there is no scientific basis for it and that it is not scientifically accepted.  That is true.  Science can not measure the human energy field or the manipulation of energies that a practitioner of any energy method can do.  (But science is starting to look at this seriously and has seen some astounding test results.)  As far as it not being scientifically accepted, well that is true too.  But think about this, when someone decided to take bread mold and turn it into Penicillin, people did not believe in that either.  It was years before it was scientifically accepted.  After all, at that time, we were still bleeding people to cure them of their ills. 
 
Now, the Catholic Church says that Reiki does not follow their beliefs.  This may be true, but it is their definition of 'spiritual' that causes them to see it that way.  They claim it does not follow 'the path' as they define it, and they have the right to define that path any way they want.  Actually many Catholics have been speaking out against this decree and many of them are Reiki practitioners.  But while the Church says that it does not follow their beliefs, it does not make it superstition.  It also does not make it evil.  They claim that it is not for Christians, yet the term Christian covers a large group of people of which the Catholic Church is only a part. 
 
Reiki comes from the divine.  There simply is no other way to say it.  A Reiki practitioner passes energy through them.  The practitioner is not holy, or super, or divine.  They simply cared enough to learn this healing art and are willing to give their time to help others (and anyone can learn to do this with only a few hours of training).  In fact, the practitioner does not control the energies, nor do they direct them.  The energy does not come from them.  It simply passes through them.  The practitioner is nothing but a means of delivery.  They are the electrical cord from the wall to the lamp.  The energy (as mentioned before) is guided by the divine and goes where it needs to go most for the highest purpose.  It is the practitioner's willingness, their training, and their faith in a higher power that allows them to conduct Reiki energy and help others.. 
 
But Reiki is also under fire from the medical profession.  More and more people are getting dissatisfied with the medical care they have been receiving and have been seeking out alternative help.  Reiki is one of many types of CAM (Complimentary Alternative Medicine) methods.  CAM covers a huge amount of methods from energy healing to massage to aromatherapy.  The key here is 'complimentary'.  Reiki and many other methods work well with traditional medical care.  They can reduce pain and suffering and improve health and general well being.  In many cases they can help people who have chronic problems where medical science can do nothing but prescribe pills.  But they work well with regular medical practices. 
 
Unfortunately, while some of the medical community is opening its eyes to the benefit of Reiki and other alternative care, most feel threatened about losing patients.  Yet many doctors and nurses (as well as massage therapists and just plain old ordinary people) are becoming Reiki practitioners. 
 
Before you turn away from Reiki because of all the recent hype, look at some of the facts.  Make your decisions based on those facts.  Allow yourself the chance to feel better.  Reiki is real.  It is not superstition, mumbo jumbo, or hocus pocus.  It is does work.  Give it a try.